Hi from Chalmette, LA (15 minutes east of New Orleans)

[popsgumdrop]

Hi, I'm new here and I am fairly new to gardening. I started gardening last spring. My husband had always been the gardener, but I got started because he has a bad back and could not replant or weed or front garden anymore. Luckily, he can still cut the grass. I couldn't take looking at it anymore, so last spring I went out there and ripped everything up and started over without knowing a thing about what I was doing. I hated every second of it, but I loved the results so much that I couldn't wait for the next spring. Now I'm hooked. I don't mind the work so much anymore because the reward is well worth it. Now we have the front garden looking nice and we have started a veggie and fruit garden. So far this year we have grown tomatoes, eggplant, bush beans, carrots, and lettuce. We also grew strawberries and cantaloupe. In the back yard we have a fig tree my husband planted 3 years ago. It is producing very well this year. The tomatoes did not do fair as well and my carrots got about an inch long and seemed to have stopped growing. I think the soil was not loose enough for the carrots. Oh well, maybe next time. Our fall crop will be corn, more tomatoes , and cucumber. We will add some more in as fall approaches, like broccoli and garlic. Not sure what else yet. We don't have a lot of space, but we are going to make the most of what we do have. I see a lot of people on this board are also on byc. I've been to that site, but I don't have any chickens. I'd love to get some. Maybe when we tear down our old shed we can put in a coop. We'll see. Anyway, glad to be here and looking forward to getting to know ya'll.

 

[thistlebloom]

Well hi there Popsgumdrop!
Welcome and glad to have you. I'm afraid this forum is about as addicting as gardening is!

 

[popsgumdrop]

I hope so!

 

[Carol Dee]

Hello Gumdrop! You will love it here. Lots of friendly and helpful folks.

 

[lesa]

Welcome! Welcome! I am just sure you need some chickens- their poop is so helpful to the garden!!

 

[digitS']

Welcome, Gumdrop !

I'd just like to say something about being a gardener and having a bad back . . . it ain't no fun.

There have been a few times when I just couldn't quite pull myself together in the spring to get a start. One year, my son came to help for a week and he and my then 79 year-old father did the cultivating work for my garden.

I recently went thru another little loss of function because of the back. It wasn't quite as dramatic as in years past, probably because I'm so far down that road now. Someone once said that what a gardener needs is a cast-iron back, with a hinge in it. Maybe so but I can't really remember when I had that kind of equipment.

If your husband can follow the lawnmower around the yard, good for him . Maybe, he will be able to work off a stool or use a long-handled hoe to poke around in the garden. Make sure he knows that a good diet is critical to joint health and veggies play an important role in that. Best of Luck to Both of You!

Steve

 

[Ridgerunner]

Welcome to the forum! Glad you joined us!

I used to go fishing out of Shell Beach in what seems a lifetime ago. Did Blackie Campo and the boys rebuild the launch at their dock? I liked that lift so I didn't have to back the boat trailer tires into that brackish water. Not as hard on the bearings.

 

[momofdrew]

Gardening is fun and exasperating one year you have great luck and others the weather is against you but gardening is habit forming...My dad gave me some seeds to plant when I was around 5 years old and 62 years later I am still gardening...I have fybromyalgia which slows me down some... I use stools to sit upon to weed.. have some raised beds to make it easier to reach...

I too have chickens and recommend raising them...you get entertainment eggs and manure with a minimum of work...

 

[popsgumdrop]

Welcome, Gumdrop !

I'd just like to say something about being a gardener and having a bad back . . . it ain't no fun.

There have been a few times when I just couldn't quite pull myself together in the spring to get a start. One year, my son came to help for a week and he and my then 79 year-old father did the cultivating work for my garden.

I recently went thru another little loss of function because of the back. It wasn't quite as dramatic as in years past, probably because I'm so far down that road now. Someone once said that what a gardener needs is a cast-iron back, with a hinge in it. Maybe so but I can't really remember when I had that kind of equipment.

If your husband can follow the lawnmower around the yard, good for him . Maybe, he will be able to work off a stool or use a long-handled hoe to poke around in the garden. Make sure he knows that a good diet is critical to joint health and veggies play an important role in that. Best of Luck to Both of You!

Steve

digitS: It's mostly the getting on the ground or bending way down for long periods of time that he can't do. He can't kneel down in the garden for sure. Sometimes I'll go outside and find some weeds lying on the front lawn and I know he tried to get in the garden and weed it, but it didn't work out too well for him. But, he is able help out. He can help me put heavy bags of soil and fertilizer in the wheelbarrow. We do put some plants in 5 gal buckets. He is able to help tend to those as well as potted house plants. He trims some of the garden plants and trees as well. As long as he does not over do it with the lifting he is OK. I try not to let him to anything that requires him to bend over, so when he trims tress I pick up the trimmings. He also does a good bit of the harvesting because I am impatient and want to pick 'em too early. Still learning ya know. He does try to take care of himself. He loves fruits and veggies. He drinks a lot of water too. And of course he has good days and bad days. He does miss getting down into the dirt though. Last summer he took classes and now has a Master Gardener's certification from LSU and he'd like to get a degree in horticulture. We are looking into him stating classes this spring. Hopefully his back won't hold him back too much from that.

I love that your father is able to do the cultivating at 79 years old. I hope I am still able to get out there at that age.

 

[vfem]